


Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

by Tinalbion



Category: A Nightmare on Elm Street (Movies 1984-1994)
Genre: 80s Slasher, Angst, Blood and Gore, Death, Drama, Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Horror, Horror Comedy, Killing, Serious Injuries, Slasher x OC, Sleep Deprivation, Smut, Survival Horror
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-17
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-07-13 15:28:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16020761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tinalbion/pseuds/Tinalbion
Summary: Things have always been abnormal for the Ashcroft's, but when Delilah and her daughter, Elise, move into Delilah's old neighborhood, horrible memories are uncovered and stories of bloodshed will be revealed. What does this all mean for Elise, though? Can she take in all of the horrors and push past the boundaries of normalcy to save her mother, or will she lay victim for the Dream Demon and become just another trophy for his collection?





	1. We All Go A Little Mad Sometimes

'As I write these words, I don't feel myself, I feel as if I'll fall into blackness and never pull myself out. A few nights ago, right before Halloween, my friends convinced me to do the single most idiotic thing I could think of. Believing in spirits and spooks wasn't something I had normally thought of in my everyday life, but after what had happened years back, I was constantly on edge about every sound I had heard or every strange face I noticed. I had no idea what I had gotten myself into, but it was evil. There was a man condemned to death for the horrible things he had done to innocent children, but there he was, alive before my very eyes... and it was alluring.' 

 

 

 

3 Months Prior >>>  
Thursday, August 19th

 

 

 

Despite being a young adult, well capable of taking care of herself, she still felt compelled to live with her mother. Still. Wasn't the point to move out and flourish on your own once you became of age, not go the exact opposite route and suffer how many more years of torment? Though it was out of the goodness of her heart, considering her sister never stuck around. It was typical of her, really. But as the baby of her small family, she vowed to help her mother when she could, and it was definitely obvious that her mother was in need of some help.

 

Elise Ashcroft had turned 26 the year prior, but autumn was approaching soon, and she would be another year older, still stuck in a dead-end job and having nothing to show for it. But living back in the old neighborhood seemed so odd for her, she hadn't been here since her and her mom moved away twenty-two years ago. Springwood had certainly flourished while they had been gone, but it was a familiar welcome with the smells of wildflowers. 

 

This neighborhood had been one of tragedy for many years, and it plagued families to no end. Although it was now cleaned up, the houses remodeled, Elise had still felt a jolt of something...odd as she stood out on the front sidewalk of their new place. She looked up and stared at the windows, the architecture, it had a certain charm to it. 1419 Elm, what a diamond. A smile formed across her face, but then she heard her mother call out her name, then Elise couldn't help but groan. 

 

"Mother, I said I was waiting outside for the mail, go back in," she sighed.

 

Her mother- Delilah- was a short, frail woman, and her health hadn't been the best lately. She was always kind and outgoing with others, always made friends, but lately, things had been different. Her only sister, the one she cared about, had passed several years back, and it was heartbreaking for her to deal with. After all that sadness, Delilah was left to deal with health issues of her own. It was tough on her, and her daughter. Did Elise's sister even know about it? 

 

Delilah just smacked her daughter on the arm and stood beside her, lighting up her usual cigarette. "Jesus, do you have to do that right next to me?" Elise groaned and covered her mouth and nose. "Aren't you suppose to NOT be smoking anyway?"

 

Delilah chuckled as she took a large inhale. "I do whatever the hell I want. I'm old, and I quit drinking and sex, what more should I give up?" 

 

"Thanks for that, mom..." 

 

The postal truck pulled up a half a block down the road several minutes later, but Delilah's cigarette was finished, so it was only Elise standing there as the wind began to pick up. Once the mail was in hand, she flipped through the envelopes as she pushed her way through the door, then kicked it closed. It was all just forms stating that the new address was processed and their mail would be sent here now, other than that, nada. The young woman huffed as she tossed the envelopes down onto the kitchen table, where her mother had already set her things up. It was like her own little paperwork station.

 

Delilah had been writing down a bunch of things, but Elise never did pay much attention to any of that, so she made her way up the stairs and into her new room, where dozens of boxes were scattered around it. She hadn't even come close to unpacking, but she figured now was a good a time as any. Thankfully she had labeled her boxes, that way she was able to dig out her radio and play some music while she worked. Her furniture and bookshelves were already placed where she had wanted them, and even then there was a lot of space to work with. Truth be told, she was overwhelmed with it all; this house was a goldmine, she never had it so good.

 

The volume was turned up once she had it set up, and she began to rip open the flaps of the boxes, pushing things onto the shelves, straightening things out. The sun had gone down before she even realized that she should eat something. Her stomach was painfully growling, so she set down the last empty box in the corner of her room and sighed a breath of relief. Elise took a look around the room and smiled to herself, letting out a heavy sigh. In seconds, she was out of her room and down the stairs, hoping she could find something in the fridge for tonight, and she already knew what she had in mind.

 

Once she had gotten to the kitchen, she noticed that her mother was gone from her usual spot at the table, but Elise shrugged it off and began to prep for dinner, starting with a thorough hand wash. The young woman tried her best to keep the stray strands of dyed-red hair away from her face as she had begun to lay out the strips of raw bacon onto a pan, humming quietly to herself. Time had passed, and her plate was finished. She took it with her and sat at the kitchen table, across from her mothers' spot, and again, looked at the empty chair. 

 

"Where the hell is that woman?" Elise muttered to herself, still chewing a piece of her sandwich, but after debating for a moment or two, she stood up and walked over toward the front door. She peered through the iron screening on it and spotted Delilah standing out on the step. "Ma, what are you doing?" Elise pushed the door open and stood in the doorway, but got no response from her. "Ma, I called you." She stepped up beside her and looked down at the woman, standing there in the rain. 

 

She was in a trance-like state, her eyes staring straight ahead of her, her mouth hanging open slightly. "Elise, we can't live here, it's cursed. We can't." Delilah mumbled lowly as if someone would overhear her. She turned to her daughter, and there was fear in her eyes. "I hadn't realized, it's been so long..." Tears began to form in her eyes, and Elise was beginning to grow uneasy.

 

"Mom, what are you even talking about?" she laughed nervously, "are you okay?

 

Delilah grabbed onto her daughter's arm and clung to it, her nails digging into the skin, even through her sweater. "That house," she pointed across the street, "is evil. The red is from all of the bloodshed in that damned house! And ours! Oh goodness, I remember, Glen Lantz, that poor boy..." She began to sob loudly against her daughter. 

 

All Elise could do was hold her in the middle of the rain, completely lost by her mother's frantic rambling. "Maybe we should go in, you're gonna get sick..." She wrapped her arm around Delilah's shoulder and guided her slowly into the house, quickly taking off her sweater and hanging it up. "You really should rest mom, the move was hard on us, I think you'll feel better in the morning."

 

A crack of thunder rang out in the sky, causing the girls to jump. "N-No honey, I can't sleep. Not now." Delilah wrapped her arms around herself, looking down at the table blankly. 

 

"Well then at least eat something, look, I made us BLTs, they're good," Elise smirked and grabbed the still warm plate from the microwave, then placed it down on the table. "You'll feel better after you eat."

 

Delilah stared down at her plate and then back at her child. "You're right, I'll eat. It's just...it's been a long day." She looked down at the plate, smiling absentmindedly. "Thank you, honey."

 

Elise sighed as she looked back at her mother who had slowly begun to eat, then she decided to go back up to her room and clean up the empty boxes and sweep up the mess she had made. It had been a long day for them, and she hoped her mom would be okay by herself. Although Elise had felt extremely exhausted, she was still confused by her mothers' sudden outburst, so she needed to know what exactly happened during her childhood. She plopped down onto her bed and grabbed her laptop, quickly typing anything she could think of in the search bar.

 

Elm Street; nothing of importance. Springwood Elm Street incident; now she was getting somewhere. There had been a time period where deaths occurred in the house on 1428 Elm Street in Springwood, a young girl had gone crazy as she watched her boyfriend being murdered in the house of 1419 Elm Street. Her mother died in the same house during the gruesome events across the street, and it just continued over the years for anyone who occupied the home, until it had become abandoned.

 

She had also found an article about the alleged killer in question was Frederick Charles "Freddy" Krueger, or the "Springwood Slasher". As an adult, Freddy worked at the local power plant and had raised a daughter with his. However, behind that peaceful facade, lay in his own twisted heart a seething and horrific desire for vengeance and retribution for what hell Springwood had inflicted on to him. Targeting the children of his former classmates now turned the populace of Springwood, Freddy's MO was to take his victims to his workplace's boiler room. He created a glove with fish knives on the fingers, and as he kidnapped children, he mangled and tortured them with it, with their remains thrown and spread throughout town. He killed around twenty children before he was arrested. However, because the arrest warrant was signed in the wrong place and the judge drunk at the time of the proceeding, Krueger was released. The townsfolk were furious and took the law into their own hands. They cornered him in his lair and doused him in gasoline and set him on fire.

 

All of this was incredibly gruesome, but the details kept leaving out a lot of things, like why he would take revenge and why he felt the need to go as far as murder. It was intriguing and horrifying all in one, but Elise kept reading, scrolling through the many news articles about it. Then she stumbled across several photos of the families who had burned Fred alive, and she almost let her laptop fall from her lap. There was a picture of her grandparents, standing there beside their friends, their smug faces as they posed for the local paper. Elise felt sick to her stomach, she needed to get out of there. Did her own mother know that her parents were involved? She shut her laptop and groaned, leaning back into her pillows.

 

"What the fuck," she said, not expecting a reply of any sort. It was all a huge mind fuck and it was all way too much to take in.

 

No wonder they had gotten the place so cheap, it was a damn murder house, of course. She should have done extensive research on this, but of course, she was ignorant and had no idea what she was doing. A twenty-six-year-old idiot. She let out another sigh and sat up, looking around her room. It had been Glen's room; she had that eerie feeling. Elise stood up and went to the window, peeking outside at the house across the street, immediately noticing the red door her mother screamed about. The bars were still partially on over the nailed-up boards covering the windows, and it all became too real for her. She couldn't believe any of that was true, that was insane. It was all a joke, right?

 

Elise felt tired now and she needed to rest, but the urge to check on her mother was more overpowering. The young woman hopped off her bed and rushed down the hallway to her mothers' room, where the woman had just sat down on the edge of her bed. She looked up in confusion at her daughter.

 

"What, what is it?" Delilah asked.

 

"Oh I uh," she panted a little and leaned against the door frame, "just making sure you're alright."

 

She laughed a little. "Yeah, I'm fine, just heading off to bed. So, goodnight, love you."

 

"Love you, too." Elise backed out of the room and walked back down the hall, shutting the door. Her mother seemed okay, so she just had to hope she would be, then decided that maybe it was time to get ready for bed, too.

 

She had committed to keeping her usual routine; showering, brushing her hair, her teeth, and then laying in bed staring at her phone for an hour. And that's how it ended up for her, as usual, but it wasn't glancing through funny pictures tonight. She delved deep into the murder mysteries of Elm Street. Five years later on another family moved in, and their son had begun to kill people from his school, all while claiming to be possessed by Fred Krueger. Everything was so odd and it was hard to ignore, but was he really not dead? All this talk about dreams, nightmares, all of this information was almost too unbelievable.

 

Elise hadn't realized as she held onto her phone that she drifted off, sleep taking hold of her quickly and silently. Though she was unconscious, it had felt as if she hadn't been asleep at all. She had been walking along a hallway, her own actually, and the rooms were nonexistent now, there was only the one at the far end. The light had been peaking through the bottom of the door, and she could see shadows moving across, but she heard nothing.

 

As soon as she stopped at the door, she gently pushed it open and shielded her eyes from the brightness, but then she had heard her mothers' voice calling out for her. Elise rushed through still trying to find her way around, but then the lights had died down, but now the walls were covered in red. The young girl walked up to the nearest wall and slid two fingers against the liquid, and it was what she had feared; blood. She was just having a weirdly intense dream after reading about all of those murders, that's how it normally ended up for her, and she needed to take control of her own dream. Elise backed away from the wall and closed her eyes, muttering under her breath that she led her own dreams and she would not allow this. Her mothers' voice ran out loudly this time, screaming for Elise to help her. Without hesitation, she took off down the hallway toward her mothers' bedroom and kicked in the door, only to find her mother on the floor as a tall figure stood towering over her.

 

"Hey asshole, leave her alone!" Elise screamed as she ran toward the figure and kicked it down from behind, knocking it to its knees. She ran up beside her mother and pulled her to her feet, immediately pushing the woman behind her and shielding her. "Ma, you okay?"

 

No sound came from Delilah, she was too terrified as she hid behind her daughter and clung to her arm. She then pointed to the figure as it regained its composure, and it had fixed its hat so it properly sat on its head. It was a man, Elise could barely make out the features, but he had soul-piercing eyes. "It's him," Delilah choked out, "Fred, it's Freddy. He's here to kill me."

 

"Shut up, no one is killing anyone!" Elise shouted as she stood her ground, widening her stance. "I know you, Freddy," she began, "and I'm not impressed. You're bullshit, this is all too weird, you're not real. You're dead, you hear me, you're dead!" She lunged again at the figure, going in low to take him down, but he easily dodged her and swung his right arm at her, catching her on her arm with his homemade weapon. The girl cried out in shock but did her best to keep his attention on her, ending up behind him and beckoning for more. "Come on, asshole, come and get me."

 

She reached down and grabbed her shoe, threw it at Fred and nailed him right in the chest. That pissed him off enough that he began to take large strides toward her, and she figured running from the room would give her mom enough time to get the hell out of there. Elise looked over her shoulder to see that he wasn't there, so she had stopped mid-run and turned around, looking for him. She whipped around and began to make her way back to the room when she heard the floorboards creaking behind her, so she tried her best to be quick as she spun around and saw him standing there, taunting her as his blades gleamed in the dim light.

 

"I like 'em feisty. They do say redheads have a temper," Freddy chuckled in his deep voice, the sound of the knives scraping against each other.

 

"Good thing I'm not really a redhead, then," Elise spat back, her hands balled into fists.

 

Again, she struck first as she ran straight for him, so he opened his arms, almost welcoming her into them, and quickly wrapped his arms around her so tight that she couldn't breathe well and faltered. He was swift with his movements, it was inhuman. Elise tried to escape from his grasp, but he wouldn't budge; he was insanely strong. She then did what anyone else would do and kicked her leg back, her swing connecting with his groin. He lurched forward and released her, so she bolted from the hall and made it to the room, where her mother had disappeared.

 

"Mom? Mom!" She looked everywhere, but she wasn't anywhere in the room. Elise then let out a frustrated growl and stomped out, looking for Fred again. "What did you do to her?!"

 

He popped up from behind her and laughed as he grabbed her shoulders, but one of his blades had cut her deeply, causing her to scream. But only seconds later, she disappeared from his grasp, causing him to yell out in anger, leaving him in the Dream World as she awoke in a cold sweat. Her mother was sitting beside her on the bed, looking the same way Elise felt.

 

"Honey, are you okay? You're hurt," she looked down at her shoulder and her arm, quickly wrapping a hand towel around her arm to put pressure on the wound.

 

"Mom, what the hell was that? It was real?" She blinked a few times before realizing she was back in her room and felt a warmth slowly trickle across her chest. "Mom," she looked up at her and began to hyperventilate.

 

Delilah was there for her daughter as she was laying out the gauze and antiseptic, hoping to explain what it was that happened, but she couldn't even come up with a reasonable explanation to give her, she just sat there in defeat. "I never wanted this, Elise, I thought it was finished. But I think I'm the last, I'm the last." She broke down and sobbed loudly as she hid her face in her hands, and Elise just laid there keeping pressure on her cuts.

 

Elise had no comforting words to give her mother, she was too stunned to even believe this had happened at all. Her jaw clenched as she thought of the monster claiming to be a dead man, but there was something about him that made Elise want to go back and face him. She wouldn't let this go, she would figure this all out and fix everything, even if it killed her.


	2. Bring Me A Dream

The music faded as the sweet feeling of being pulled into the dream world became stronger, but Elise snapped her head up from the desk and gave herself a strong slap across the face. She would not sleep right now, it was only early afternoon, and she would rather not have to face anything weird again. It had only been a few days since her first encounter with a dream monster in the new home, so she had been trying to put off sleep as much as she could. Her mother had gone out shopping for groceries earlier in the day, so the young woman had the house to herself, and she had decided to use the time well by setting everything up in the living room and kitchen. She had turned the music up loudly on her cd player as she set it down on the countertop, her thoughts were distracted as she moved all of the heavy furniture out of the way and pushed it up against the wall.

Moving along to the beat, she swept the hardwood floors and sung along to whatever songs she knew that played on the local radio station, and her mind was at peace for now. She was worried about her mother though, considering she hadn't brought up anything after the sun rose the next morning, which was really unlike Delilah. As she was thinking of her, her mother burst through the door, several paper bags gathered in her arms while she pushed the door closed with her foot. Wordlessly, she placed them down on the kitchen table and hung her keys up by the door while Elise ran to turn the music down.

"Hey, ma," she greeted. 

No answer from her, instead, she dug around in one of the bags and pulled out several items. It was all first aid things, which reminded Elise if the painful reminder on her arm. "Here, honey, you need to clean that off," Delilah nodded toward the bandages wrapped around her upper arm, which were in desperate need of changing. The blood that soaked through them was rather fresh. 

"Mom, I'm fine," Elise protested, but her mom was already washing her hands and going in straight for the gauze. Elise sighed and just allowed her to do what she needed to, like wiping away the oozing blood from the deep cuts and pouring a clear, stinging liquid over it. Elise gasped and bit down hard on her lip as the skin felt as if it were bubbling. "Fuck, you could have warned me!" she barked. Delilah paid no attention to her as she wiped away the rubbing alcohol that cascaded down her arm, then she had dried off the cuts as best as she could, all while Elise looked away from the damage. After she had initially wrapped everything up, she didn't look at how badly the knives had sliced her open, and she preferred it that way. the cooling gel of the antiseptic was a much-needed relief, and then the fresh gauze had been wrapped around her arm. Elise's eyes connected with her mom's, and she smiled weakly. "Thanks, mom."

Delilah placed her hand on her daughters' face, cupping her cheek. But as soon as it happened, she quickly pulled away and walked back to her bags, unloaded them and began to put things away. The kitchen had been overtaken, so Elise went back to finishing up the last touches of the living room. The tension in the house wasn't the best to live with, but it had been worse in the past, so Elise didn't complain much. Everything had happened all too fast, and even her week was numbering down till the day she would go back to work. It was a bit too much, but she had finally finished the last part of the room, and everything was in its place. She backed up to the doorway and smiled at how clean and organized it had all turned out, so she immediately showed Delilah the progress of unpacking she'd done.

"See? All the books and movies are in place, the bookshelves, entertainment center, it's all perfect and cleaned down. Gives you some time to relax, if you ever decide to stop moving around so much," Elise smiled at her mom as she looked around the room.

"That's definitely a huge help, thanks El," Delilah sighed in relief, "I wasn't looking forward to moving all that shit, that's why I was putting it off." 

"It won't hurt to ask me, not like I'm going to work just yet anyway," her daughter replied as she began to grab all of the empty boxes scattered across the floor. She gathered them all and made her way to the recycling bin outside. As hard as she tried to keep her eyes down, she found herself staring at the house across the street again, the obvious red door catching her eye. She would rather not be swept up into daydreaming, but as she released the boxes and threw them into the bin and she stood in a trance as her eyes scanned over every detail of the house. It hadn't been touched in years, it was pretty obvious, but there had been loose boards hanging from the windows as if someone had tried to get in. Why was this the house that everyone feared, why wasn't it her own, the one that held the messiest murder? Elise snapped out of it once she heard a nearby car door slam, and her eyes locked with a neighbor, but the woman quickly looked away and ran inside of her house. 

Elise came back inside and decided not to tell her mom about the weird moment she shared with the neighbor, instead, she went up to her room and messed around on her laptop, wanting to find out all she could about the Springwood Slasher. No evidence existed that he was killing beyond the grave, but there was a newspaper article after article of people stating this man, who had been dead for years, was killing them off. It was mental. Elise deemed her encounter as a vivid nightmare and nothing more, maybe she knicked herself on the side of her bookshelf, she could have been sleepwalking! There was always an explanation for things like this, she wasn't insane. 

Several photos of Krueger had popped up, mainly the ones taken when he was in court, clad all in orange. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at his face, which seemed almost too normal compared to the one she pictured. The night of the attack, darkness covered his features so there was no chance to tell if this was the same sick and twisted man. Elise continued to find pictures here and there, all containing that devilish face. Even though she couldn't admit it to herself out loud, something about him was strangely alluring, almost attractive. Of course, it would have helped if he wasn't a complete psychopath.

A loud blast of music startled her out of her scrolling, so she looked over to her smartphone that illuminated a familiar number and a not so flattering photo of her friend. She slid the bar and touched the speaker button, then leaned back in her chair. "I didn't know if you knew how to work a phone anymore," Elise greeted sarcastically.

"Oh haha, smartass, I just got back from my trip a few hours ago, so don't attack me as soon as I call." Her friend Max huffed. "I was callin' to see if you were finally settled in because I was thinking we could go get dinner if you're not busy tonight." 

Elise took a drink from the half-empty can sitting on her desk and sighed. "Yeah, that could work. The only room that needs the help is the kitchen, but my mother overtook that a little while ago, so there's no way in hell I'm going in there," she joked.

"Sweet it's settled then! But I'm not choosing the place this time, you are. So text me the address and I'll be there around seven or so."

"You got it, see ya." Elise hung up and groaned as she got to her feet, then walked down the stairs to find her mother just finishing cleaning up the fridge. "Hey ma, just letting you know that Max and I are going out to dinner, did you want to come? It'll help take your mind off things."

"Oh, no, but thanks," Delilah replied as she spun to face her, "I'm actually going by Birdie's tonight. It's been a while since I've gotten to see her and Mike, so I'll be spending the weekend there, is that okay?"

Elise scoffed. Why wouldn't it be okay? You're an adult, aren't you?"

Delilah groaned and shook her head with a grin. "You know what I mean, will you be okay? I just need to get away from this house for a little while, and maybe you should, too."

"Ma, I haven't even been in this house a week, why would I want to leave? It's just stress and exhaustion from moving."

"You haven't even slept since the attack, El! I'm not an idiot. You're afraid like I am."

Elise balled her fists and sighed, trying to keep her head level. "Have a great weekend out, I'll be fine. Just call me if you need anything, okay?" The woman walked away and left her mother standing alone in the kitchen. Elise was irritated that she was already trying to run away from the problem, but even then, it was just a nightmare. You couldn't outrun those.

 

\---

 

Honk honk! Max pulled up in her old beat up Jeep and hung her head from the passenger side until Elise decided to emerge from her house. Her friend hadn't realized just how close she would still be to the old neighborhood, but Max had never really been in this area of Ohio before. Max's eyes lit up when she saw the size of her friends' house and definitely had to ask if a party would be a plan for the future. The redhead slid into the car and slid the seatbelt over her chest, then looked over at the brunette. 

"For being on vacation on the islands, your tan looks perfect," Elise teased, "you look refreshed. And disappointed you're back."

"I'm always disappointed when I come back, I'll get over it though." Max leaned forward slightly and turned up the radio, which was playing one of their favorite jams. "Ahh, I've missed this, but I miss the sun more. So tell me, how you guys afford this place? Did someone die in it?"

It was a simple joke, nothing out of the ordinary for Max's humor, but Elise couldn't bring herself to smile. "Yeah, actually. Murdered." 

Max looked over at her with a horrified look. "Shit, I'm sorry, that's nuts."

"That's what I said, but I'm ready to get out of here for a bit. Step on it, speed racer." Elise leaned back in her seat and let the music take over her mind. 

 

\----

 

The two young women sat at the bar of a restaurant Elise had forgotten the name of as she slowly sipped on her long island, listening intently to the vacation stories Max had promised to tell her. It almost felt normal now, as if the move never happened and the scare she went through was just a random happenstance. The girls laughed along with the crowd as they had begun their night of drunken karaoke, and Max just knew that Elise had to sing something before the night was over.

"Maybe when I've had two more of these," Elise answered as she held up the glass she had just sipped from. 

Max let out a disappointed groan as she slammed back the rest of her drink. "You're honestly no fun, did the move kill your sense of humor?" 

"Quite possibly," her friend replied. 

This made Max let out another groan as she looked up toward the small lit up stage, and she couldn't help but smile deviously at her friend. "Well, if you won't, then I will." She pushed her chair out and quickly made her way up to the DJ, jotting down her song of interest, then calmly made her way back to her seat. 

Elise looked at her quizzically, waiting for some sort of confirmation, but she was given none. "So? What did you pick?"

She was only met with a satisfied grin as Max ordered another drink for herself, so Elise just shrugged her shoulders and picked at the bowl of pretzel sticks that had been placed before her upon their arrival. Song after song, the duo laughed as they sang along to the lyrics lit up on the screen until Max's name was called up. For some reason, they both felt tense, but Max shook it off and bolted up to the DJ, grabbing the microphone and brushing her hair from her face. She eyed Elise as soon as the music started.

Mister Sandman, bring me a dream  
Make him the cutest that I've ever seen  
Give him two lips like roses and clover  
And tell him that his lonely nights are over

Elise had facepalmed herself as she tried so desperately to hold in her laughter, but Max had continued her song, even dancing a little as the beat went on, but then Elise had stopped laughing, she had come to a realization of what was being sung. 'Bring me a dream,' it's like she couldn't escape it no matter how hard she had tried. The room suddenly felt colder than it had been as she quickly stood up and ran to the bathroom. Max hadn't the faintest clue that her friend was sitting in a stall, hyperventilating as she grabbed her injured arm. As it hid beneath her sweater, Max was completely clueless about anything. She couldn't pull her into it, no matter how much she wanted to spill everything. But there was no one, even her own mother was in denial.

She felt dizzy like she had one too many drinks as she sat there, and the woman hoped no one would come in looking for her. She needed to get home, even though it was the last place she wanted to be, she just wanted to sleep. "Bring me a dream, my ass," she muttered to herself as she tried her best to stand. Splashing cold water on her hadn't helped any, so she had to come up with a decent excuse for her departure. Max wouldn't let her live it down.

"You what?" Max asked in disbelief. "You never throw up, and you've only had a drink! A single drink! Have you honestly become that much of a lightweight in a month's time?"

"Yeah, must have, I haven't been feeling too well lately," she lied, "I'll just head home and we'll save the drinking for another day, okay?" She prayed that she would buy it because there was honestly no true explanation she could give; she felt as if she needed to be home. "And I'll pay," Elise threw in. 

"Sold," Max said as she smacked the surface of the counter, imitating a gavel. "But seriously, I hope you're okay, you don't look too hot."

"Gee, thanks," Elise retorted.

"No, I mean you look like you've seen a ghost or something, and the bags under your eyes aren't looking too good either," Max said. "But come on, we'll get ya home." 

The girls paid their bill and left the bar, shivering as soon as the autumn wind greeted them, thankfully the car was only a few feet away. Elise slid into the back seat and laid her head down, hoping the spinning feeling would end soon. A quick lie down on the way home should be fine, and then she'd be home. Max played some music as she drove but kept it low on volume, and every so often, she would look back to check on her friend. Within five minutes in the car, Elise had felt much better than she had. She sat up and leaned comfortably against the leather seats with a smile. 

"I think I'm feeling better," she began, but then she had looked out the window and noticed the sun was already up. The scenery was completely different, too, which was really odd considering they had only been in the car for a total of five minutes. Things had begun to seem quite strange until her fears were confirmed once she heard an echo of deep laughter. She whipped her head around, searching for the source of the voice, but there was none. Elise began to breathe sporadically as she looked over at Max, who seemed to still be the same, so she reached forward and placed her hand on her shoulder, shaking it gently. The girls' hands were still gripping the steering wheel so tight that the skin around her knuckles was white. "Max, hey," she shook her again as her voice broke. 

Max turned around to face her, only her eyes had gone missing, only blackness remained where they were, and Elise screamed at the top of her lungs. She needed to get the hell out of that car, but it was still moving. She tried to open the door but there were no handles to grab onto, and the windows were now slowly turning dark. She needed to keep her head as she dealt with this nightmare, so she took several deep breaths and kicked the window several times as hard as she could, finally kicking through. The glass had sliced her leg a bit, but nothing she couldn't handle, her only thought was to get out. A wicked wind blasted through the window as Elise felt around for the outside handle, and it had opened easily.

She took off running down the brightly shining street, the sun high in the sky like a typical spring day, but just beyond the horizon, a looming darkness began to make its way toward the young woman. Elise skidded to a halt, almost tripping over her own feet. "Shit," she cursed as she began to run in the opposite direction, but then he appeared, as expected. A tall shadowed figure that towered over her and all of the sun was gone. She could feel his eyes on her as she stood there, defenseless. 

"Let me go, asshole," she shouted, "I've had enough of this!"

Freddy only chuckled at her feeble attempt to intimidate him. "What's the magic word, princess?"

"Fuck you!" Elise took off running, scanning her surroundings for anything she could use to defend herself, and she had found a decent sized fallen branch from a nearby tree. The distinct sound of knives scraping against each other had gotten closer and the faint sound of children singing, and all Elise could do was grip the branch tightly as she scurried along the bushes, hoping to lose him long enough to catch him by surprise. 

"You're in my world now, bitch," he chuckled, scraping his blades along Max's abandoned car.

Elise held her breath as he had walked just a few feet from her hiding spot, and she felt as if he knew, so without hesitation, she lunged out at him and threw the branch as hard as she could, but as soon as she could blink, she felt a tight grip around both of her wrists. She looked up into the human eyes of Freddy, which took her off guard and she hadn't registered what was happening. Her glance flickered down to his right hand, where she swore she would be feeling blades digging into her skin, but to her surprise, it was a warm hand. It seemed so human, and she anchored her attention back to his face. It had been the same from the pictures and here he was up close. Her eyes studied his features; his strong and regular face had been one you wouldn't think belonged to a child killer, and his eyes were wide as they stared back at her, and a beautiful color. It had been as if he hadn't aged a day since that article, but no matter how long she stared, the voice in the back of her mind screamed for her to do something.

But she didn't.

Why couldn't she move now? His grasp on her was strong, but nothing she couldn't pry herself from. It was him, something about him nagged at her, tore at her as she remained like a deer caught in the headlights. Freddy hadn't made a move either, still remaining in his world as his hands never loosened from her wrists, but the thumb on his right hand moved ever so slightly, and Elise had noticed. This gave her the realization that she needed to get the hell out of there. Since this had been a dream, she squeezed her eyes shut and prayed that his hand would once again wield that damned glove. This was a move that was quite unexpected, so Freddy hadn't anticipated it, but suddenly his glove was back where it belonged, and Elise had yanked her arm from his hand and grabbed the glove. With a swift movement, she pulled it toward her and allowed the blades to dig into her skin. She screamed and suddenly woke up in the back seat of the car, startling Max with her sudden shouting. She skidded on the road, avoiding the oncoming pole she just passed. 

"Jesus Christ, Elise! What's wrong?!" Max peeked her head over her shoulder to stare down at Elise, who was covered in fresh blood.


	3. Get Out Alive

Elise remained slumped in the faux leather seats of her best friends' car, holding onto her arm tightly as she stared blankly out of the window as Max drove like a maniac. She had instantly begun to freak out and yell things at Elise, which Elise couldn't even voice her thoughts at the moment. She had tried to come up with something that would make sense, something for Max to believe, but there was no solid explanation for her to give. The last thing Elise had heard her friend say, she was driving her to the hospital since there had been a lot of blood in the back seat. She had no idea what she was even talking about, there was no blood. Elise's eyes slowly looked down at her hands, and sure enough, they were covered in a dark liquid, and it felt rather warm. 

"Oh shit, oh no, my mom is gonna freak," Elise said wearily. 

"She's gonna freak?! Excuse me, but you're bleeding all over the place in my CAR," Max exclaimed as she tried her best to focus on the road. "What even happened back there? I figured you passed out, you were quiet as hell, and then all of a sudden you wake up screaming, covered in blood!"

There was no way the redhead could tell her all that was going on, she'd think Elise had lost her mind and should be thrown in a psych ward. "I uh," she began and quickly looked around the car, "I think I cut myself on something down here on the floor when I was moving around," she lied. She hoped there was something on the floor, anything that could cause a deep enough gash. She felt around with her foot for a moment, and that's when she felt it; a small toolkit was there, hidden half-wedged underneath the seat. The young woman reached for it and pulled it out more, making it seem as if it had dislodged, and even opened the lid, pulling out a flathead screwdriver, propping it up. "Yeah, there's some sort of toolkit here," she said with a sigh.

"Oh fuck, I thought I had that closed, shit, I'm so sorry El," Max groaned and switched her blinker on.

Elise leaned forward to get a bit closer to her friend and smiled half-heartedly. "Don't worry about it, it wasn't your fault, I'm just an idiot and shouldn't have fallen asleep in the back." She sat back and held onto her wound, hoping to keep any sort of pressure on it until they arrived. A few moments later, they pulled into urgent care, and of course, Max had run from the front seat to help her friend out from the back. "I can walk, I didn't cut my leg off, Max,"

"Shut the hell up and get out of my car, come on!" She grabbed her hand and pulled her up slowly, letting Elise lean against her if she wanted. Once they had made it inside, they were immediately escorted by a nurse into an empty room. 

"The doctor will be right with you, so please remove your sweater and place it on the table, we'll get you cleaned up and bandaged." She left as quickly as she came in.

"Well that was thorough, wasn't it?" Max scoffed as she sat down in the chair across the room. She looked over at Elise, who was sitting on the bed, completely spaced out. "Hey, El, take off the sweater, they're gonna examine you," she barked.

Elise jumped slightly and looked over at her friend in a daze. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Jesus, did you have more drinks than you listed? You're completely out of it. Come on, I'll help," Max groaned as she stood up and helped pull the sweater over her head. Elise gasped when she had accidentally rubbed against the wound, and it began to sting more than it had been.

"Fuck," Elise swore as she sat back further on the bed. She wanted to just rest her eyes for a few minutes, but she couldn't go through any more pain this evening, nor could she bear to look Freddy in the eyes again. He wouldn't win so easily, not this time. "I'll be fine, it's just a cut anyway, I'm fine."

"El, you're not fine. This is a deep cut, you did some major damage to yourself, so I think we shouldn't drink when you've barely slept. They're gonna think you tried doing this on purpose," Max scooted her chair close to the bed, keeping her voice low. "I know it sounds ridiculous-"

"You're right, that sounds ridiculous," Elise interrupted, "I just hurt myself on accident, Max, you know that." She sighed and shook her head as she sat back, leaning against her good arm. "But you're right, I do need some sleep, I just... I don't want to."

"Why?"

The question Elise wanted to avoid, because what kind of person would believe that some sort of boogeyman was haunting her, plaguing her dreams? "I've been having night terrors since I've moved. They feel real, and I hate sleeping." The dark circles under her eyes were obvious to anyone sitting close enough. 

Max sat in the chair listening silently, keeping her thoughts to herself as she thought of something to reply with, but as soon as she opened her mouth, several quick knocks echoed in the room and a man entered, wearing a long white coat. "Good evening ladies, I'm doctor Iversen. Could you please tell me what happened?" He set down his clipboard on the countertop beside the bed and began to lay out several items from the cabinets.

"Uh hello, so my friend and I here had been out at the bar," Max began as she looked over at Elise, "and my friend had many more than I did, and she said she wasn't feeling too great, so I offered to drive her home. She laid in the back seat, and she had fallen asleep, but about five minutes later, she woke up screaming. When I looked back, she was covered in blood."

The doctor cleaned up the wound and the area around it as he listened to the story, then looked at Elise's arm as he carefully moved it, getting a better angle in the light. "Good thing it wasn't as deep as it looks, it won't require stitches, but it will need some time to heal, so no extensive use of this arm for a bit. What was it that you cut yourself on, miss Ashcroft?" He looked into Elise's eyes, and she looked down shyly.

"There was a toolkit in the back on the floor, and it was open," she replied quietly. 

The doctor finished placing the bandage around her arm and wrapped it in gauze. "Well, thankfully it was just a small gash, but it still may feel rather painful when sleeping, so I'll prescribe a pain medication only to be taken at night." He walked over to his clipboard and began to jot things down, and that's when Elise looked over at Max with horror in her eyes. "I'll be right back with that slip for the prescription, you take it easy miss Ashcroft. Get home safe."

Once he left the room, Elise's eyes met Max's again. "Hell no, I'm not taking those damn pills. 'Take them at night' means they're going to have an effect of drowsiness. I can't sleep, Max, I can't." The girl began to get teary-eyed as she sat there on the edge of the bed and looked at her friend.

Max let out a deep sigh and shook her head. "They're just nightmares, it's nothing to get worked up over, El. You need sleep, otherwise, you'll end up a zombie. Just take them for a few days until you're better, please?" 

Elise shivered as she slid her sweater back over her head, trying to ignore the obvious blood stains along the sleeves. "Yeah, fine," she submitted. 

Moments later, the doctor returned with the filled out slip and bid them a good evening, showing the girls out to the lobby. They left with very few words spoken during the car ride, but Max had wanted to be sure that her friend would actually turn in the prescription, so she took her to a twenty-four-hour pharmacy, despite Elise's protests. They sat in the waiting chairs and finally had gotten the small orange bottle. Elise stared down at them as she sat in the front seat, her eyes scanning the warning label and reading over the side effects. Sleepiness, drowsiness, nervousness. Everything she wanted to avoid. Max finally pulled up to the front of the house and turned to Elise, biting her bottom lip awkwardly.

"Listen, just try it for tonight so you're not in pain. If you don't like it, then take some other form of painkiller, just don't torture yourself, okay?"

Elise stared out of the window and kept quiet, knowing she would just disagree with her and cause an argument. But she did owe it to Max; she drove her to the hospital and took care of her. She turned to the brunette and offered her a small smile. "Yeah, sounds good Thanks for doing all this for me tonight. Sorry, I ruined our night out."

Max scoffed. "Don't worry about it, girl. Just get some sleep and text me when you're up, tell me how you're doing."

The girls reached to each other and hugged briefly, then Elise decided it was enough for one night and walked to the door. She waved at the car as it drove off, then unlocked her door and stepped into the dimly lit kitchen. It was only her in the house, and that thought terrified her the most as she stood there. She opened up the fridge and looked for anything she may have forgotten about; a nice cold energy drink, perhaps. With nothing in hand, she decided maybe her bed sounded good, and sleep did seem rather enticing. She would take the dose as directed and give it a shot, she needed to try. Maybe they would cause her to sleep so heavily that she wouldn't dream.  
Before heading up to bed, she reached in the fridge once more for a water bottle, then took a deep breath before swallowing two of the pills.

 

\---

 

Weeks had gone by rather quietly for Elise now, and it had been safe to say that the pain pills had worked, but she no longer required taking the pills for her arm. It was healed quite well, all that was left were wicked long scars up her arm. She had somehow kept it from her mother, making up things such as she had slept on it and it felt sore. Delilah had been oblivious to the hospital visit, and Elise had made sure to destroy any evidence leading to it. And with all of that gone, Elise had also tried to push everything from her mind that happened since moving in. She had pushed Freddy from her mind, and even the pat events that had happened in her own home, she just pushed them deep within her and pretended as if they didn't exist. Things felt quite normal as the weeks flew by, and the weather had gotten colder; Halloween was approaching. Now only a month away, the women of the house figured that they could decorate and make it look rather homey. 

Elise immediately made her way to several stores outside of town, grabbing anything that looked spooky or just attracted her attention. Halloween was always her favorite holiday growing up, and no matter how old she was, she would always dress up and hand out candy to the trick or treaters. The young woman came home with a pretty big haul of decorations and set them on the kitchen table as Delilah had been washing dishes. 

"I'm assuming you maxed out the card again with all the stuff you bought," Delilah sighed as she turned around and saw the table. 

"Nah, nothing was maxed out. Surprisingly got this all under two hundred bucks, can you believe it?" She smiled as she placed her keys on the wooden rack near the back door, and sat down at the kitchen table. She noticed her mother staring at her with a look that had seemed all too familiar. "What?"

"Did you need to tell me something, El?" Delilah asked with a stern voice.

Elise looked away from her mom for a quick second, then back to her. "Like what?"

"Don't lie to me, I swear to God if you lie to me-"

"I'm not lying, I have nothing to tell you, mom."

Delilah shook her head and turned back to the dishes again, remaining silent for a few moments. "Then why did I find an empty pill bottle in the trash can? Have you been fucking popping pills? Of all things, El, honestly. You know how I feel about that," her voice broke as she spoke out to Elise. 

"Mom, get your head out of your ass, I'm not popping them for fun, I had an accident with my arm and they were helping with the pain, fuck's sake. You think I'm stupid?" She looked at the woman in complete disbelief, almost insulted by her accusations. Delilah didn't say anything, so Elise happily kept going. "I didn't want to tell you anything considering all we had to deal with as soon as we got here, but maybe if I just kept it to myself and ignored it, it wouldn't be real." She wrapped her arms around herself and leaned back against the chair. "If I didn't talk about it, it wouldn't be real..." 

Her mother just sighed and walked up to her and grabbed her arm gently, her eyes widening as she saw the large scars. "Did you-"

"Hell no," Elise snapped, "the hell would I try and kill myself for?"

"It was only a question. But...it was him, wasn't it?" Delilah looked down to the floor, trying her best not to think of his face. 

"Yeah."

Elise figured she had said enough to her, so she gathered some of her Halloween things and brought a bag up to her room while leaving the rest on the table for her mom. She spread all of her items on the surface of her bed, immediately thinking to hang up the orange lights in her windows while using the rest for areas around her room. The orange color was nice and complimented the beautiful fall leaves, so it was fitting. She smiled a little to herself while she grabbed her chair and stood high, placing the string along her window rods. It only took a short while to have most of her room decorated for the holiday, which was a bit more than a month away. 

Once she finished, she figured a shower would do her some good, now that she was no longer worried about bathing with her wound. SHe had adjusted the water to her liking and stepped in, letting her music play a little louder than normal as she let the stream of water cascade down her skin. A breathy sigh echoed in the room as Elise closed her eyes and let the warmth of the water envelop her, her mind going blank as she just found time to relax. She wasn't as tense now while she hummed along to a song, but the temperature of the water had soon dropped, her eyes quickly flitting open as she tried to mess with the handle, turning it just a bit higher toward the red button. 

"What the hell," she huffed as she felt it drop colder and colder, no matter how high she had turned it. Finally giving up, she had stepped out and reached for the long, fluffy towel and wrapped herself in it, shivering. "Ma! Is the water being messed with?!" she called out the door as she peeked her head out from her room. 

No answer. 

With an irritable groan, Elise walked down the hall and down the stairs, looking for her mother, because there was definitely something up with the plumbing. She stood still momentarily and waited for any sound, but there was nothing. Dripping onto the floor, she crept into the living room where the television was playing, but no one had been there watching it, not even in the dining room. 'Probably having yet another cigarette outside,' she thought as she decided to head back upstairs. Figuring she was finished with her shower, she dried off and changed into her pajamas, then headed to her room to watch whatever would prove to be decent background sounds while she scrolled social media on her phone. She laughed lightly as she looked through photos, but shifted and sat up once she heard odd sounds coming from downstairs, sounds that weren't entirely normal. 

Swinging her feet around, she placed them quietly onto the hardwood floor, standing as quickly as she could without making much of a sound. Her arm reached for the wooden baseball bat she kept propped up behind her door, slowly making her way down the hall with the bat sitting on her shoulder, waiting to swing it if need be. The smell of something burning filled her nostrils with unpleasantness, but she kept on as she descended down the stairs, hoping that she wouldn't catch anyone's attention as she crept into the living room. The color on the first floor was all wrong; it had been a deep red, full of some sort of mist. She shook her head and placed her hand over her eyes. 

"Fuck, I fell asleep," she groaned as she stood in the middle of her living room, but then as soon as her eyes had opened again, she had been in what appeared to be a boiler room. With her grip still tight around the hilt of the bat, she walked along the metal walkway, having no idea where she was going. It was eerily quiet except for the occasional blast of steam or the far-off dripping of water, but it unnerved the young woman that the 'man of her dreams' wasn't anywhere around. 

"You came back," a gruff voice called out, "and on your own, how interesting."

Elise whipped her head around to look for the source, knowing damn well he was here, but there was no sight of him. "Bullshit, I'd never come here willingly, you brought me here, again," she argued, her grip on her bat tightening. "I'd rather burn in Hell."

"That can be arranged for you, Elise," venom dripped as he said her name, and she shivered uncomfortably at the sound of it. She continued to walk slowly along the corridors, peeking her head around corners as she held onto her weapon, the feel of it in her hands making her feel a little safe. This was still his world, he could make anything happen.

She swallowed a lump in her throat as she leaned back against a wall, the condensation soaking right through her shirt. "I guess if I'm here, I can find out exactly what you want from me."

Freddy chuckled, his voice being thrown from another direction. He watched her from the shadows, the fear in her eyes excited him, and he could feel her heart pounding against her chest. He craved to be known again, to hear his name whispered on the lips of so many, and to claim their souls as they begged for mercy. He wanted that with her, but there was something more to his longing, something he couldn't quite figure out, so he ignored that pit deep in his stomach. "I want you, my little piggie. Your soul."

"Simple enough," she muttered to herself as she closed her eyes for only a moment. She had no idea he had been standing only feet away from her in the darkness, his eyes watching her closely. Normally it was instinct to attack the children, to end them as soon as he could, but his gut told him to stand his ground for now. "What if I said I'd fight to keep that from happening?"

That earned a loud scoff. "As if others haven't tried," he purred, "I'd love to see you squirm. I bet you'd give it your best, like the rest of em'." Thinking about his past victims only made him laugh and look back with fond memories, but the thought of seeing this girl struggle beneath him, it would be a vision to behold. 

Elise got to her feet and began to walk back the way she came, the red from the ambiance blending in with her red hair as it swayed across her shoulders. He looked at her curiously but didn't say anything, he only watched. She felt a pain in her head as she walked away from the burnt man, only being able to feel his intense gaze on her as she furthered the gap between them. "I'm not playing this game right now, I'm going back into my own dreams and I'm going to sleep." 

Freddy again laughed at her pathetic attempt to turn her back on him, but maybe he could use this as his advantage. He had gotten closer to her as she looked over her shoulder every so often, smiling as he took in the look on her face. "Sleep well, princess," he cooed.

Elise's hairs on the back of her neck as her heart thumped wildly. She wouldn't let him get to her, not now and not ever. She would fight her way out kicking and screaming if that even worked on a dream demon serial killer. With one more glance back, he was standing there leaning against a rail, that cocky sneer on that not-so-demon-looking face. His features were just as she remembered, and that bothered her more than seeing his true form. That first night, she remembered the look and smell of burnt flesh as his eyes glared daggers at her, but she could easily write that off as a bad dream. Here, Freddy had seemed almost vulnerable, if you could even use that word to describe him. She stopped and turned to face him, her stance as strong as she could make it.

"Why do you do that; act as if you're still human?" she fumed, "it's misleading."

He gave no answer as he stood there and he didn't even move. It had been a long while since he even had a conversation as long as this one, and it honestly threw him off. He was used to begging and pleading for mercy as the blood of his victims gushed onto the floor, but here this girl was, demanding answers. She reminded him so much of his beloved daughter. It pained Freddy to think of it, the bittersweet memories he held for her had been pushed back into his mind now, he had business to attend to.

"Well?" Elise continued, and she sassily placed a hand on her hip, her weight shifted to one side. "If you're not gonna talk now, I really gotta go."

Freddy became agitated by her cockiness as he took several large steps forward, quickly appearing before her. That's when he saw that fear come pouring back into her features, and oh how did he crave it. He reached out with his gloved hand and slid one of his sharp blades down her jawline. "I suggest you shut your mouth before I remove your tongue for you, see how much you'll be talkin' then, princess," he joked darkly, and she knew he meant it. "Want me to be the big bad wolf for you then, little girl? 'Cause I can be," he chuckled and then lifted his arm up high above his head. 

Elise gasped and reacted as best as she could, swinging the bat blindly as she tried her best to duck out of the way of his swing. Freddy's arm had been hit, but it barely phased him as he stumbled, so that's when Elise had taken the split second opportunity to run back and try to get into cover. The demon took off after her as he willed himself to disappear, his location now another mystery. The young woman made sure to keep alert whenever she rounded a corner or crossed a doorway, but he was nowhere around, nor did she hear anything indicating where he was. He was just playing with her now, some sort of sick game simply to entertain himself. The young woman sighed and dropped the bat at her feet, the loud clatter of wood being the only sound ringing in her ears. She looked around and waited for him to strike her, and of course, he did.

Freddy appeared behind her and wrapped his arms around her body, keeping her from using her arms as she shrieked and struggled to escape his grasp. His glove was uncomfortably close to her face as she pushed her weight back against him, and she hoped that her eyes would remain intact, but they had both fallen backward as she screamed. Freddy pushed her off to avoid being hit, but Elise had caught his sleeve and pulled him with her. He struggled as he pinned her down, straddling her hips as he made sure to put his weight against her. The floor of the boiler room was wet and hot, which had begun to burn through her shirt, but Freddy didn't let up. He lifted his glove and began to slice her arm as he held her down with the other, hearing her scream with each cut he caused. He smiled as his true form glared down at her, but she fought back as hard as she could by reaching up to his face with her left hand, attempting to gouge at his eyes, trying to get just a second to try and escape him. His blades met her hand and he pierced her skin, laughing as she pulled back and cried out. 

"You can't wake up, sweetheart, I gotcha now..." His smile was wicked and his eyes gave away what Elise had feared; she was going to die.


	4. Lights Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'My eyes are still burning red  
> So turn the lights out  
> You're not so hard to forget  
> With all the lights out'
> 
> \---
> 
> Elise battles once again with the Dream Demon,   
> but there's something different this time, and Freddy won't be able to handle it, so  
> will Elise be able to?

Those hazel eyes were closed so tight that it began to hurt, but once she had opened her eyes, Elise didn't see Freddy above her. She struggled to sit up, but she hadn't been in the same boiler room as she had just been, but she sure did feel the cuts that were bestowed upon her just shortly before. The place she was in now seemed familiar, but not enough to distract her from what was happening. The young woman scrambled to her feet and looked for any sort of cover she could get into, something that could give her just a moment to breathe. He was right there, he had her, but why didn't he finish her off? Maybe it was too easy for him to just take a life like that, like a cat playing with the mouse before going in for the kill, otherwise, there was no joy in it. Elise didn't really stand there to think about it as she gathered her thoughts and began to run toward an opening. It had looked like an open door that led into a beautifully sunny field, one scattered with wildflowers and a large swingset placed in the center. It was a park she had remembered from childhood, one she had gone to until the day it was torn down. Her heart skipped as she could almost feel the warmth of the sun caressing her skin, but it seemed to get further and further from her reach. He was toying with her again.

Elise stopped running as she watched the hallway stretch out further away from her, and her hope had begun to flicker out while she stood in the middle of a darkened room, sounds of steam hissing all around her. She needed to wake herself up somehow, but it wasn't going to be easy, so she needed to do anything she could to cause enough pain to jolt her from her sleep. As if she willed it, the room changed, and she could feel damp grass beneath her bare feet as she wriggled her toes within it. A smile formed as she looked around at the scene; it had been the park again, but filled with children as their parents sat on the benches as they watched them play, and all seemed rather normal. The young woman blinked again and the scene had changed only slightly, but now it was much more terrifying. The children all laughed and chased one another, but they no longer resembled the living, their skin was pale and their eyes had blood pouring from them. Some kids had limbs missing as if they'd been torn from their bodies, while others had large cuts visible from beneath their clothing. Then there was a trio of three young girls all wearing their hair up in red ribbons, playing jump rope as they chanted an eerie song that frightened Elise. 

She began to back away as they sang louder and louder, the soft grass turning into the thick mud beneath her, and Elise screamed as she tried to pull herself from the mud, but it kept pulling her deeper and deeper beneath the ground. All of the children ceased their games and stared at Elise, watching her as she cried out for help from anyone who would offer it. The trio of girls had stopped skipping and watched with unchanging eyes. 

1, 2 Freddy's coming for you...

Elise tried her best to grab ahold of something strong to keep her from being dragged under, and all she could reach was a pole from the swing set and she held on for dear life. Freddy had suddenly appeared before her, kneeling down with that wicked grin plastered to his face as he stretched out his arm, his index blade extended as it reached her fingers. She looked up at him and shook her head, knowing that he would peel her fingers from the pole. 

"Don't!"

"Or what, princess? You gonna cry for your mommy?" He chuckled and poked his blade into one of her fingers. 

As much as it hurt, she flinched but not to where she had let go. "I said don't!" she pleaded, not knowing what else could be done. Again, he poked another finger as he watched her try her best not to let go. It was rather enjoyable to see her beg as she tried not to lose. Freddy took great pleasure in watching them suffer. The kids all gathered closer as the scene continued, but none came to her aid. Another finger was pricked, but Elise's grip had loosened and she was slipping quickly into the trap. She screamed as something pulled at her as if it was clawing at her feet. She had gotten so scared and so angered by this torture, she had let out a loud scream, and suddenly she shot up from the mud and landed right on Freddy, much to his surprise.

He was caught off guard by this, which hadn't happened all that often, but she was on him now, her hands pinning him down while she placed her body weight on his thighs. Even as she stared down at him with pure hatred, he didn't move, he only watched her silently as he sometimes did. He wouldn't admit it, but he was rather impressed that her will hadn't crumbled just yet; she was a fighter, and he loved  
it. This was not unlike the rest of those who lived on Elm Street in the past, but there was some otherworldly spark in this girl, and he craved to test that and to break that spirit. 

Elise growled in anger as she brought her fists down onto his face, punching him left and right as she took out all of her anger on him, but he just laughed at her as he barely felt her rage. His hand reached up and wrapped around the back of her neck and pulled her face close to his, his eyes almost giving off an eerie glow. One of his blades met her face as she stilled her fists, her eyes wide as she followed the direction of the blade. He slid it gently down the side of her jaw, hearing the small sound it gave off as he let his claw wander near her throat.

"Do it, you coward," she said almost in a whisper, "just do it."

The words echoed in his ears, and he very much wanted to pierce her throat with those blades, watching as she struggled to breathe while her warm blood poured from her and bubbled in her mouth. He had done it so many times before with no hesitation, so what made this particular girl cause him to still his blades? It had sounded just now that she begged him to end it all for her, and he always would oblige, but this was no longer something completely in his control. Something in Freddy snapped; his face changed completely as he was about to kick her off of him, but then something wet had splashed in his face.

The young woman fell backward which allowed the slasher to get to his feet, and he looked down to see her gasping for breath and spitting out a liquid as she choked on...water? He tilted his head as she clutched onto her throat, coughing and struggling to take in any sort of air. She must have fallen asleep in the tub, how idiotic, Freddy thought. But this was not how he had wanted to end her life, he wanted something much more satisfying, so much to his chagrin, he pulled her up to her feet and assisted her as best as he could to wake her and forced her out of his world.

Elise awoke as she flailed her arms and coughed loudly as she attempted to breathe again, slipping around in the tub as the showerhead still sprayed down at her. The young girl turned the water off as she forced out what she could down the drain, and after regaining consciousness and allowing herself to lay on her stomach, she had felt much better. She felt dizzy and completely winded, but nothing had surpassed the feeling of absolute confusion she held after tonight's events. Freddy had saved her, was that right? She must have had some fucked up double nightmare because that would be more plausible than the former idea. She needed the comfort of her bed and the warmth of her blankets, anything to allow her to relax, and maybe she would get an uninterrupted nights sleep for once, and she definitely wouldn't tell her mother about almost dying -twice- tonight.

 

xxx

 

Elise hadn't seen Freddy much after that night, although she would end up in some weirdly silent dream world, where nothing or no one would even interfere with her; that's what she wanted for a while. It was awkwardly peaceful, and she'd learn to accept it until it was no longer an option. One of those weird dreams happened the night after starting her new job. It was fairly easy work to do and she completed all of her tasks with little to no effort. That was the payoff of being put to work as soon as she turned seventeen. Her manager saw that she was a hard worker and immediately began giving her more to do, which Elise welcomed the distraction, and she hadn't even spoken much to her own mother. She was terrified to even bring it up, recalling just how paranoid her mother had been since the beginning. 

On her break, she let out a relieved sigh and sat down in the break room with her cup of coffee in hand, hoisting her feet up on the nearby chair as she decided to innocently close her eyes, just to rest them. She had slept through her entire break. Her eyes flitted open and Elise looked around to see that the room had been empty and rather quiet, but she thought nothing of it as she stood from the chair and stretched her limbs. The small nap felt nice, but the position she sat in the entire time caused her muscles to ache wickedly. Elise groaned and walked toward the heavy door, attempting to push it open to return to the work floor, but it wouldn't budge. She had met a few people here who would probably think it funny to pull a prank on the new girl, like an initiation of sorts, but there was no sound coming from the other side of the door.

"Haha, very funny, now let me out," she demanded, but no one answered. Her heartbeat began to pick up its pace. "I said to let me out, guys."

A loud screech from across the store echoed within the walls, and the young woman immediately knew what it had been, that's when she frantically began to push at the door. She leaned against it as she pushed with all of the strength she could muster, but it wouldn't move. The screeching had gotten closer now, so she figured she'd take it out on her own and rammed against it with her shoulder. It swung open and slammed against the wall, revealing the empty store in dim red lighting, which she figured would turn into the boiler room eventually.

"Missed that face of yours, Krueger, was wondering when you'd bless me with it again," she shouted, hoping he'd hear every word. 

Elise was greeted with silence, but she knew those eyes were on her as they always were, and she was ready to fight. Enough was enough, and she had done nothing wrong, why should she fear this asshole when he was the one threatening her on her territory? The young woman had her fists ready whenever she had rounded a corner, but when nothing greeted her after several silent minutes, she knew he was toying with her again. 

She scoffed to herself as she thought of the right words to say, but no sounds had echoed, no menacing laugh. He was nowhere to be seen. Elise really didn't need this happening at work, and she definitely didn't want it to become a normal thing. The last thing she needed was to lose her job over some sleepwalking shit. Once she deemed it safe to let her guard down and walked toward the exit, she had bumped into a large figure, taking the shape of the dream demon, which caused her to scream as his strong grip wrapped around her. But it quickly vanished as she opened her eyes again. Her heart raced as she looked around for him, afraid that she wouldn't see him in time to put up a fight. 

She growled in frustration as she placed her back against the door, watching for him. "Enough with the games, Freddy!"

"I love it when you say my name, kitten," his voice called out, "I'll love it even more when you're mouthing it and my blades are sunk into your throat!"

He jumped down onto her and yanked her by the hair, pulling her back toward him as she had been pulled away from the door. Her freedom had been ripped away from her yet again, but a paralyzing sense of fear took over her this time, and she was afraid she wouldn't make it out of this one. His hand was curled around her throat as he held her body against his own, the blades of his glove digging deep into her right arm. He chuckled as he leaned his face against her hair, the smell of her shampoo filling his nose as he smiled wickedly. 

"Good to know you've been dying to see my face again, sweetheart. I've been thinking about you, too."

She didn't need to be told just exactly what he'd been thinking about doing, and she was completely terrified. There was no struggle this time as he held her, just a wave of shivers that traveled down her spine as the warmth of his hand lingered in the back of her mind. The feelings she was experiencing were incredibly confusing and almost made her sick. She felt one blade slide up her skin and stop right on her temple, her body shaking as she allowed him to hold her and keep her from leaving. 

"You're not struggling," he grunted, "maybe it's time I see what's going on in that little head o' yours, hmm?" 

His blade pushed into her skin, making her scream loudly while she remained still, her legs wanting to kick against him, but she was at his mercy now, and she couldn't afford to make a fatal move. He pushed it in only slightly further while feeling an adrenaline rush from her screams. Flashes of her quickly shuffled before his eyes as his grip never loosened from her neck, and he had seen the deepest, darkest parts of her mind. His dirty teeth were exposed as he smiled wide, then a chuckle escaped his lips. Elise knew what he had seen, and he wasn't sure if he should be intrigued or appalled by it. 

"Ooh," he cooed in her ear as he removed the blade from her skin, blood pouring down her neck and onto her work shirt. "What a dirty little girl, I knew there was a reason I liked you."

Elise didn't want to come to terms with her thoughts, nor did she want him to probe her mind further as she cried out against him. She was weak; she allowed herself to be held like a ragdoll in his grasp as he took over her, and she wanted to run. She needed to. A deep intake of breath and suddenly her leg kicked back again, which caught the slasher by surprise, and she had landed a blow against his face as he stumbled back. Steam began to hiss loudly as she realized she was pulled into the boiler room and Freddy was still there before her, his eyes glaring at her as she stepped back, her foot splashing against a puddle that accumulated from the leaky pipes. 

"Stay out of my head." Her voice was shaky, but there was a twinge of danger lurking within her words. Her privacy was stolen and she felt completely vulnerable in front of him. 

Freddy approached her with fervor as he pushed her roughly against one of the nearby pipes, his lips twisted into a snarl as he looked into her eyes, seeking any hint of a fight, but she wouldn't give it now. Those human eyes of his gave him away; he was hesitant with her even though he had every opportunity to end this, but there was something that made him still his blades. His hand was against her throat, his thumb pushing against her jugular notch, itching to shove it through and watch her collapse in pain. Moments passed as he suffered from an internal struggle, but to Elise's surprise, he snatched his hand away and emitted a guttural growl from frustration. The chains that hung from the ceiling were pushed aside as Freddy stomped away, leaving Elise alone and confused as ever, her eyes wide as she watched his shadow melt into the darkness. 

"F-Freddy!" She needed to get out, what did he plan on doing, leaving her there? This wasn't like him at all, and this abnormal behavior from him was more frightening to her than dealing with close death encounters. With a shaky breath, Elise straightened up and began to follow where he had gone, hoping to gain information on some sort of exit strategy. "Freddy, come on, don't fucking leave me here!"

Had her disgusting thoughts pushed him over the edge, possibly to the point where he was repulsed by her? She had figured he would have ended her life right then and be done with it, but he didn't. She rounded yet another corner and walked into different lighting now, and she thought she could make out his shape just ahead, but she didn't dare approach him, so Elise lingered behind, remaining silent as her eyes never left him. He didn't move, he just continued to stand there, each moment passing by so slowly. 

"Freddy," she gulped, the fear in her slowly rising again. He didn't respond, but she noticed that his head perked up, his face still covered within the shadows. "I need to leave, and I want you to send me back, now." Her words seemed menacing if spoken to a murderer, but she needed to put her foot down, he would not leave her here to rot.

"Why?" his voice rang out, seeming louder than expected.

"What do you mean, why? That's-"

"I mean, why do you do this to me?" His boots clapped on the floor, his form growing as he stood before her, again in his human form, which she figured he shifted into for a reason. His face, oh Gods, his face. His expression was pained, and he looked as if he were going to cry, but he wasn't as weak as that. He wanted to attack her, to end her and relieve himself of her presence. Those predatory eyes glared down at her as she lowered her gaze, unsure if she should try to run for it or just trust that he'd let her live for the moment. 

"I don't know what you mean..." she mumbled as she continued to look at the floor, but her face was grabbed and snapped back up to meet his gaze. 

"You very well do," Freddy growled as his face neared hers, and she could smell the air thick with smoke, knowing very well it was coming from him. 

She squirmed beneath his tough, not wanting to explore his sudden change in behavior any further, but she really didn't want to chance anything, considering he still wore those blades on his hand as he kept a watchful eye on her. Something in him changed rather quickly, but she saw that he was struggling silently with himself as his hand still held her face, and he had realized that her skin against his dream-flesh was quite compelling. He came to realize just what had gone through his mind and he snatched his hand away from her, his eyes now full of hatred as he snapped his fingers.

She jolted awake from her slumber, alone once again in the break room at her job, spilling her coffee in the process. Shortly after her nap, she returned to work and kept to herself until she had left, driving straight home as fast as she legally could. Thankfully her mother wasn't home today, so she locked herself in her room and allowed herself to openly think about all that happened today. 

Something was different now, and although Freddy had been absent for a little while as of late, it still irked her how he kept up the chase, never fully committing to end her life as she had read about so many times in the local paper articles. There was a new edge she could use, and it had something to do what he saw in her mind, and even she couldn't pinpoint exactly what he saw. This was all too much for her right now, and her headache was intensifying with every minute she sat there and thought of him. Seeing that human face of his tore at her, eating away at her as he stood there and couldn't even bring himself to end her. Her eyes suddenly widened as she thought of the one thing that would repulse him to walk away, a killer with no mercy, to just see her as a fresh new victim, and just leave her there.

"Shit."


	5. Undisclosed Desires

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's no way things will change if Elise doesn't take a huge risk,  
> but will she be able to live long enough to save her own life and fix this  
> once and for all, or will she have a hell of a time coming back from this?

Undisclosed Desires

 

 

It had started like any other day, until the swirling colors around her began to take shape ahead in the distance, painting out the sunset beautifully as the moon began to take over the sky. Just then, billions of twinkling stars appeared above her, and she looked up in awe as the pinks and yellows turned into blues and purples. The moon dominated the sky as clouds shrunk in its presence, and Elise was suddenly feeling a pulling sensation up ahead. She followed the odd sensation as the scenery tried its best to take shape, things here and there that reminded her of home. 

The walkway ahead had transformed into something darker though, but she kept pushing on, not afraid of whatever that would greet her there. A small smile played on her face as she walked along, the pathway illuminated in some supernatural glow, guiding her way. Once she began to get closer to her destination, it became hotter, causing her to shed her sweater and toss it behind her. Deep in her mind, she knew where she was going and what awaited her there, but as she neared a heavy door, her heart skipped and she hesitated, but only for a moment. She pushed it open and smiled as she stood in the doorway, revealing a dingy room with a fire-lit furnace, a bed, and a figure standing on the far end of the room. 

Elise watched as the figure removed his hat as he still wore a beige leather jacket, and the fire illuminating his features. Those eyes she remembered so fondly had greeted hers once he turned to face her, and she tilted her head out of curiosity. He placed his hat down on the table that was next to the bed, but she couldn't hold back any longer; she quickly closed the gap between them and ran into his arms, burying her face within his chest against that striped sweater. A small purr of happiness rumbled within, and it caused the man to chuckle while his hand stroked her hair softly. 

'You shouldn't be here, princess,' he pointed out to her, his voice quiet.

'I don't care.' 

He chuckled again as he held onto her, afraid to let go as he nuzzled down into her hair, the smell of it wafting into his nose. He needed her safe, and he knew she would be safest away from him, away from Springwood, but when did she ever back down and listen? His eyes lingered on her face as the fire made her skin look incredibly soft, and he wanted to say something, but he bit his tongue and just let out a sigh. 

This was difficult for them both; it had made absolutely no sense for either of them to be here or to even think this was remotely normal, but Elise wouldn't give up, and there was something inside of him that wouldn't either. Her arms wrapped around him had sparked something within him, and even though there was a sense of urgency that hung in the air, he wanted to live in this moment for as long as he could. 

'I can't do this, they're going to come here, and we both know what's going to happen.' His voice was riddled with worry as he looked down at her with his brows furrowed, the fear pooling in those beautiful eyes of his. 

Elise looked up at him and offered a smile, but even she couldn't hide her worry as she placed a hand on his human face. Suddenly, the dream took a turn, and their lips had met, their hands were running over each other and exploring. Things quickly turned hotter than the furnace as the young woman was pushed onto the bed, his form hovering above her as his eyes scanned over her body, her clothing leaving little to the imagination as his hand grabbed her face, placing a firm kiss on her lips. 

She awoke that night with a red face and skin as hot as her dream, but confusion and embarrassment flooded her as she hugged her legs to her chest, her stomach twisting in knots as she sat there in the dark, her orange decoration lights giving very little light as she looked around. It wasn't a real dream, not like they had been where she would wake up covered in blood, but more of a plain old sex dream. Freddy hadn't been present lately, so she thanked the Gods above for that.

Avoiding so many people in your life was a difficult task to carry out, but Elise was determined to remain hidden from everyone for a while after everything that had been happening. Sleep wasn't kind to her ever since she had moved in, her mother pretended as if nothing was wrong, and all was supposed to be right with the world, but it wasn't. The young woman felt queasy over the events that took place just days prior with Freddy; the way he looked at her and how conflicted he seemed to be was maddening. What he saw in her mind, she had no doubt it was that dream. It had to be. Her face turned red in embarrassment as she sat in the middle of her bed, staring at the television as the screen played some 80's horror movie. 

Delilah was always knocking on her door and checking on her, but Elise refused to spend long amounts of time with her mom, hoping that she could keep her safe from the dangers, in case he was to show up again. She ached with the guilt, knowing if she were to stop thinking about him, that maybe would go away and leave them alone. The young woman slid off her bed and walked over to her desk, looking down at the papers she had written out about him and how it all connected. She shuffled through a few loose pages, looking down at the gross headlines from before his death. She should have been disgusted and appalled by all of this, thinking of some way to take him down for good, but was there even a way to get rid of him?

A loud crash disturbed her thoughts and made her jump, her eyes wide as she bolted to the door and swung it open. "Mom!" she screamed as she ran down the stairs, her hand holding onto the railing a tad too tightly. She was afraid of what would greet her. "Mom, what happened?" 

There had been pieces of glass all over the kitchen floor, but her mother wasn't around, so she kept her breath quiet, trying to listen out for anything. She began to shake as her worry increased, but there was still no sound of Delilah anywhere. Elise ran about the entire house, throwing open every door and looking for her mom, but she hadn't found anything until she had gotten to her mom's bedroom. The door was locked, but with a couple of painful shoves into the door, she burst through it to see nothing. Her bed was messy, so she had been in there, but where was she?

"Mom?" 

Rustling came from her closet, but Elise had fought against running up to it and being careless, so she tiptoed toward it, not even realizing she had been holding her breath as she neared the door. When her hand gently touched the handle, the door burst open as her mother cried out and landed in her arms. She was absolutely hysterical, weeping and breathing heavily as Elise tried to calm her, but it would definitely take a bit more convincing. 

"Mom, please calm down! You need to tell me what happened." She had her hands placed on the woman's shoulders to try and steady her, but she could barely speak through the rapid breaths and heavy tears. "What happened?"

"H-He was here again," she forced out, "and he came after me." She knew very well it was him, now he was going after her mother. The very thought of it pissed Elise off, but she remained quiet as she continued to listen to her, hoping if she remained in control, her mother would follow. "I got away somehow, but I only woke up because he p-pushed me hard against a wall, and I was still holding onto him..."

Elise didn't follow, it didn't make sense. "What are you talking about?"

"I think he's here," she said weakly, her tears flowing, "I think I pulled him out of my dream." Maybe she didn't hear that right, that was impossible, there was no way that could have happened. She looked down at her mother with a strange expression, but Delilah shook her head before her daughter could speak. "It sounds idiotic, but when I woke up, he was still there, and I know it was him. I wasn't asleep anymore."

Delilah looked away from her daughter and around her room, shivering. Elise had felt something prickly against her skin, and she could tell that her mother wasn't lying. "Mom, I don't know if that's possible, but you need to get out of here-"

"We need to get out of here, are you crazy?!" she yelled in response, "I'm not leaving you here!"

"Mom, I know how to handle him, you can't. I won't let you." Her voice was firm as she looked around, hoping that wherever he was, he could hear her. "You need to get to the neighbors' place, or Birdie's, just get out of here." 

She ushered her mother out of her room and down the stairs, grabbing her coat and the car keys from the front hall and ran to the car with her. The young woman made sure her mother was safe as she drove out to the street and sped off, but fear paralyzed a thought passed through her mind. What if he was no longer inside? She ran back into the house and slammed the front door, looking around silently and keeping an ear out for anything. 

"You better still be here, Krueger, and you better leave her the hell alone," she growled. Her mom was no longer a worry for her, but now she had to deal with him. She felt awake, truly awake, but could he even be here physically? There was nothing that could truly surprise her now, but she still felt it nearly impossible to drag him out from a dream. There were sudden cries coming from upstairs, and they had sounded like her mother, so without questioning it, she dashed up the stairs and again found herself whipping open every door, but there was nothing this time. She continued to hear her mother crying out for her, for someone to help her and save her, but she couldn't pinpoint it from any direction. Elise began to shake from feeling so anxious. 

"It's between you and me, dammit! Stop!" She pressed her hands against her ears, trying to block out everything that she could hear; she just wanted silence. Her mother was fine, she was completely fine, she watched her leave. There was no doubt that she was okay, but there was that lingering doubt, no matter how hard Elise fought against it. She made her way across the second floor again, watching for anything, her arms ready to strike. "I'm done playing hide and seek."

A deep chuckle echoed around her, and she bit her bottom lip to avoid letting out a scream; she wouldn't let him have that satisfaction. "But I'm having so much fun! And since you let your momma get away, I have no other option than to play with you," he sneered, "but I bet you like it, don't ya, princess?"

She kept her composure as best as she could as she lurked around in the rooms, looking for wherever he could be hiding, but she knew where he would be. Elise needed to head down into the basement, he would definitely be there. Without a reply, she grabbed her trusty baseball bat and readied herself, talking quietly to herself to try to remain calm, but mainly trying her best to persuade herself to go down there in the dark. No more playing, no more games. She would end this, otherwise, her mother would be targeted for his twisted sense of humor.

The skin on her hands turned white as she gripped the wooden handle of the bat, her fingertips feeling cold and clammy as she neared the door that led into the basement. There was never a good event that came out of the basement, dozens of horror movies she had watched over the years had proved that without a doubt, so what would make this any different. Elise closed her eyes and calmed her breathing, letting her heartbeat slow to a normal pace, and that's when she opened them. There was no going back because he would find her no matter where she went, it was an endless game of life or death. 

She had decided to greet him with a smile as she descended downward, her footsteps careful and slow, the creaking of the wooden stairs would easily give away her position if she had cared. The bat was resting against her shoulder as she held onto the handle, her other hand sliding lightly against the railing. Time had felt slowed as she neared the landing as she took another deep breath, but there was no point in putting it off. Her bare feet touched the asphalt and made her gasp, the chill of it causing her to falter just for a moment, but he was there in the darkness, she could feel him there. 

There was a moment of hesitation as she suddenly removed the bat from her shoulder, then leaned it against the nearest sturdy object. She would show him that she wouldn't fight him, not this time. Elise would stand up to him and hold him off until he agreed to leave her mother alone. She was not a part of those people all those years ago, her parents were innocent, and he needed to see that. Fear welled up in her lower belly, the knots tightening as she took a final step toward him. 

With a slight tilt of her head, she looked into the darkness and held out her arm, as if reaching out to him. Her face remained blank as her eyes closed gently. "I'll willingly give myself to you if you leave Delilah out of this, forever, please," she begged softly. Her eyes opened and there he was, his face partially emerged from the shadows, but his full figure was soon illuminated as the furnace burst into controlled flames. They licked at the pipes in the basement, the heat rising as the tension became thick. He wasn't disguised this time, he was his true self, and Elise felt more at ease that way. 

Seeing what he had become because of how he was as a living being, it reflected his soul, but Elise was now at peace with this. She had read so much about him, had found out how he had been to the people in his life. What she didn't understand is why. There was nothing about his past, even the files at the library were hidden. The town of Springwood wanted him erased from all history, but he would never allow it to happen. 

"If you're just gonna waste my time, I have a prior engagement with a friend of yours, Max, I believe," he teased with a sadistic smirk. He clicked his blades together as he stepped toward her, but she didn't budge. 

She remained silent for a moment, her eyes sweeping over his form as she stood straight. "I already told you I'd give myself to you," she replied, her voice shaky, "in exchange for their safety."

He spat and yanked his blades across a set of pipes, the screech echoing in the room as it pierced her ears. She flinched and closed her eyes while she tried her best to calm her breathing. There was no reason for her to be afraid, she needed to show him that she wasn't going to back down this time. 

He had almost seemed suspicious of her behavior, but it was only a flicker of a moment as he stood a few feet away from her. SHe could smell him from there, the gentle scent of smoke and cinnamon. Elise took a deep breath and made another step forward as she continued to hold out her arm, her palm visible as her fingers reached for him. The memory of her dream flashed in her mind, and although her cheeks flared with embarrassment, it was impossible to change her mind now. 

"Go ahead Freddy, I'm offering myself. I'm not going to say it again."

"Are you out of your damn mind, kid?" he snapped and grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her close to him so he could stare her in the eyes. This was the closest her face had been to his while in his true form, and it deeply terrified her, but she didn't budge. "You think givin' yourself up will just save everyone? You're wrong, you're only giving up, and that isn't fun."

He was right; she was giving up, but only because it would save the lives of the only two people she cared about. Nowadays though, it seemed her affections were longing for someone else, someone unobtainable in reality. "Freddy, please." Her voice was soft and sweet, begging him. He snarled and bared his rotted teeth while his burned hand clutched at the collar of her shirt, his glove mere inches from her skin as he fought the need to slice her. She still didn't pull away from him. 

Elise had then placed her hand on top of his while he still had the fabric bunched into his fist. His skin was warm and it felt odd beneath her touch, but it didn't repulse her nor did she pull away. His body immediately tensed while his eyes met hers, but as soon as the moment came, it had ended. He released her shirt and tried to grip her throat, but Elise used all of her strength to knock his arm away land a blow against his stomach. 

If he wouldn't listen, she'd have no other choice. 

Quickly, she had lunged for the bat and took an immediate swing at him, smacking him against the shoulder while she stumbled off to the side. Her body had fallen against the concrete wall but she was able to stand again with only minor pain in her leg, but she wouldn't let that slow her down this time. She sported her scars as she walked toward where he landed, but he wasn't there now. Typical, he disappeared when she had landed a decent hit against him, and he had to play his games. 

An invisible force had pushed her back into the wall, hard. All around her, pipes were breaking off the walls on their own and wrapping around her arms, pinning them above her head as they dug into the concrete around her. She couldn't even make the pipes move an inch, they were solidly placed, but it didn't stop her from trying as she grunted while kicking at the wall. He appeared from the shadows again, that damn smile on his face again as he clicked his blades again as he neared her. Freddy clicked his tongue several times and shook his head slowly. 

"You thought you had me, sweetheart, but you forget you're in my world now," he chuckled, "I think it's about time I teach you a lesson." His threats were spoken low as she thrashed against the wall, hoping that somehow, her arms would be freed before he had a chance to do any real damage. 

Suddenly he was upon her, his face right beside hers as he lifted his glove and dug his index finger blade beneath her collar bone. Elise cried out as the blood came pouring down the front of her tee shirt, and there was little she could do to stop him. He laughed the more she cried out, and it only pained her more to see just how little he thought of her. He removed the blade and slowly licked the blood from it, his eyes never leaving hers as tears fell down her face. He held up two blades for her to see, then dragged them slowly against her arm, leading them down to her injury and inserting them both. She let out a scream and begged for him to stop, telling him she'd do anything if he released her, something he heard before, something all too familiar. 

"Come on, where's your fighting spirit, Elise? You still gonna offer yourself to me, huh?" He removed his blades and watched the color slowly begin to drain from her face as her movements slowed. She was losing blood and fast. That smile still played at the corners of his mouth as she remained silent. He saw her lips move, but couldn't hear what she had to say, so he leaned forward and opened let out a sarcastic gasp. "Oh, what's that princess?"

Elise had to think quickly, so she had played him right into a trap as he leaned forward. She used the wall to push herself forward and somehow get her legs wrapped around his neck, using the strength of her thighs to keep him in a headlock as she tried to pull herself free from the pipes. Freddy had been caught by surprise by her move, but he easily overpowered her and barely used any strength to pull one of her legs from him and yanked her entire body down to the ground, which had freed her from her bonds. Elise's body slammed onto the ground, and she had somehow managed to protect her skull from cracking against the asphalt, though it knocked the wind out of her. Her head spun as she attempted to sit up, her eyes were blurry as she felt her fingertips freeze. She needed to get the hell out of there, but she was in no position to stand up quite yet. 

Freddy crouched down and cocked his head with a snicker. "What's wrong, princess? Feeling a little woozy? Maybe you should take a nap, I got an eternal one waitin' for ya." He wrapped his digits around her throat and pulled her up to meet his wicked gaze as she clawed at his fingers, hoping he'd loosen his grip just a bit. 

She reached out and placed her hand against his head, wanting to force him to see what she saw, and she had thought about the dream again. She knew he would be repulsed by the thought of it like he had first been, and it seemed to have been working. He closed his eyes and growled at her touch, the flashes of her looking up at him with those eyes, the love in them, it was fucking ridiculous! Her touch that sent shivers up his spine, the soft glow of her skin, her feelings. He dropped her and backed away from her with a hiss.

"Why do you torment me?!"

Her breaths were heavy and raspy as she coughed, but she still somehow had the strength to crane her neck and look up at him, blood smeared from the corner of her mouth. "Because as much as it pains me," she groaned, "I fucking feel something for you."


	6. Sweet Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Several deaths take place in the neighborhood, and it will change everything.   
> Will Elise be able to come back from this and fight harder, or will she succumb to   
> the pain of it all?

Elise had peeled the covers away from her as she slid her feet over the edge of her bed slowly, allowing them to dangle there as she rubbed her eyes sleepily. It had been a few days since she had mistakenly told the Slasher of her intentions, and that's when it all just went blank and she awoke in a confused daze in the basement. He had said nothing after her words struck him, he only stared at her in disbelief as she coughed up a small amount of blood and spit it somewhere on the floor. His gloved hand fell to his side as his posture slumped. 

It was unheard of, even Loretta cursed him in his human form after finding out her husband was no innocent soul, what person in their right mind would confess something like that to an undead entity, a murderer? He felt disgusted and confused, yet he couldn't help but feel a tinge of relief and comfort in her words as she looked up at him with those pained eyes. 

She sat on the edge of her bed and stared off at the wall, her head pounding as she held up her clammy hand to feel the heat radiating from her skin. She had still been bruised and sore from all of the damage that had been dealt, but Delilah hadn't questioned as to how or why she had been so badly hurt. Elise groaned and laid back into her messy blankets as she stared up at the grey wooden boards. To keep her mind from things, she traced the lines of each board with her eyes and remembered each groove indented into the wood. She needed to forget all of this and move on with her life, to try and lead the most normal life she could live. She thought of her mother and that she was hopefully safe from his reach, and then she had thought of her friend Max, who had been brought up by Freddy. She reached over carefully for her phone and quickly dialed out her number, listening to the bland ring tone.

'Hi, you've reached Max, I decided your call wasn't important enough, but if it's important, leave a message.' The loud beep followed.

Elise sighed and tapped the end call button with annoyance. She hoped Max was only being lazy and ignoring her phone while doing something constructive or even working, so she decided that she would call a little while later. For now, she would try to keep her mother company. She stood up from her bed and slipped on a warm pair of slippers to walk downstairs, hearing that her mother was in the kitchen. She smelled the pastries baking from the kitchen as if that's all that calmed Delilah's nerves. A small smile played at Elise's lips as she entered the kitchen and leaned against the doorframe, her arms crossed as she saw her mother working on another batch as she stared down intently at the dough she was molding. 

"Hey, ma," Elise greeted quietly.

Delilah looked up at her child and offered a weak smile in return, though her eyes spoke so much more of her sadness. "Elise," she sighed as she placed her hands upon the table on either side of her workspace, "we need to leave here."

Elise's eyes widened slightly at her mother's sudden confession and she was almost ready to fight her proposal, but she bit her tongue and swallowed. "Oh yeah?" was all that she could muster.

Delilah shook her head as she stared down at her hands, trying to form the words swirling in her head. "After all that's happened hon, do you truly find it safe to stay here? I told you he's back, I know who he is, and he will kill us."

"Mom, you don't understand, we'll be fine-" 

"No, I don't understand," she snapped in return, "and there's no way I believe I ever will. I feel like I'm going fucking nuts!"

Delilah cursing was something that didn't happen quite often, so when she did, she was either stressed out or pissed off. Elise looked down at the floor and tried to formulate some sort of normal reply, but what could she say to her? Oh yeah, I almost died several times because of this guy and now I'm starting to feel attracted to him and to his tortured soul? Yeah, as if Delilah was feeling insane, Elise didn't feel any better. She looked up at her mother, who searched her daughter's face for an answer, but Elise couldn't give one without sounding like she belonged in the local nut house.

"That's what I thought," Delilah jeered. "We need to sell this place and get the hell out-"

"I'm not leaving."

Delilah turned to look at her daughter with an expression she just couldn't read. Her lips pursed and she just stared at her. "What do you mean you won't leave? Do you know how crazy that sounds?!"

"We put all our money into this place," she said, hoping it sounded convincing, "what else are we gonna do? Sure, the place was cheap, but we can't just up and leave with nowhere to go, mom." Elise remained in the doorway, unable to move. "I'll do whatever it takes to stay here, I like it here."

Delilah let out a sigh of defeat while tears formed in the corners of her eyes. "I can't stay in this house, El," she pleaded, "I can't let you stay here and get hurt again..." She stood up from the table and walked over to her daughter, letting her hand rest gently on her daughters' scarred arm. "What kind of mother am I?"

"I promise you, mom, you have nothing to worry about. I'm gonna take care of this, and I'm gonna finish this. Go and stay at Birdie's for a week, alright? Just trust me, mom." Elise stepped close to her mother and sighed, letting her head rest on her mom's shoulder. They didn't bond closely as some families did, but they cared about each other, even if they hadn't said it often. 

Elise pulled away and looked down at her mom again, and Delilah smiled. "It doesn't feel right, letting you do this."

"Don't worry, I can handle it." She walked away and went back up to her room, wanting to rest her aching body as she tried Max's number again. 

She sighed and picked up her phone again, dialing Max once again and letting it ring. After the fourth ring, she finally picked up. "Hey, El," she greeted coldly. 

"Max, what's wrong?"

There was a moment of silence before she heard her friend speak. "El, we gotta talk, something happened. Are you busy?"

"No, I'm off the weekend, what's going on?" Elise's heart began to pound as she wondered what could be wrong, normally Max was outgoing and insanely bubbly on the phone. "Is everything okay?"

"Not really, but I'll come over now, I can't say it over the phone."

The phone hung up and Elise was left sitting on her bed in confusion as her phone's screen dimmed to black. Nothing really ever shook Max to the point where she wouldn't be herself, but now Elise was terrified to know what happened. With a deep breath, she stood up and slipped on her worn out shoes and again made her way downstairs, where she passed the kitchen as quietly as she could without disturbing Delilah. As she stepped out onto the front porch, she looked up to see the skies were dark with rain clouds coming in quickly, and she had felt the chill in the air. Autumn was at its peak. Twenty minutes passed until she saw the familiar blue Jeep pull up toward her house, and inside was a disheveled Max. Her eyes were red and puffed, her hair was barely combed, and she looked as if she hadn't slept in months.

"Max," Elise said as soon as she swung the passenger door open, "what the hell happened to you?" 

Her friend looked down at her hands gripping the steering wheel, unable to form the words. "El, get in. Something happened to Foster, we didn't know what happened to him and we couldn't get ahold of him."

"Yeah, I tried a week ago and never got a call back from him," Elise explained, still confused.

"Well, he was murdered."

The tension in the car was thick, and there was a sudden sinking feeling her stomach as it felt as though her insides would be thrown up all over the car. "Don't fucking joke around, Max," she warned as she looked at her friend with glassy eyes. "Please don't tell me he's dead."

Max burst out into tears as she shook her head, her hands still on the wheel. "He's dead, El, and we never fucking knew. He was dead for over two weeks! No one knew where he was, he never went back home."

"Who saw him last?" Elise wiped her eyes on her sleeve and tried to catch her breath, but the thought of her friend laying somewhere, dead, it was unreal. 

Max leaned back in her seat and sighed. "I think it was his mom, but she was so used to seeing him every once in a while, a two-week gap was nothing. He was found in his place by the neighbors... He-" Max couldn't finish as she leaned over toward Elise and sobbed onto her shoulder. 

Elise pulled her friend closer and hugged her tight, crying with her as she looked out the window, praying to whoever listened, praying that it wasn't who she thought it was. She prayed that he never went near Foster because if he did, it would break her. After a while of silence, Max pulled away and wiped her eyes.

"His funeral is next week Friday at six. I'm assuming you wanna go?" She sniffled and looked down sadly at her feet. "I'll be going. I can pick you up if you want."

"Max, I know it's fucked up to ask, but... how was he murdered?"

Max looked up at her friend and couldn't even begin to read her expression, her jaw clenched tightly as she thought about the grisly details. Her shoulders seemed tight as she sat there while her forehead had felt cold and clammy. She wanted to vomit again just thinking about it. "There was blood everywhere... It was all over his clothes, his floor, his bed. There were slashes all over his face, and across his mouth... Oh, God." Max covered her mouth quickly to stop herself from puking as she pushed her door open, allowing it to slam against the car as she dropped to her knees and let it out. 

Elise ran around to her and quickly pulled her hair back, crying as she looked away from the scene. Her lips trembled as she pictured her friend's body lying there in a pool of his own blood. It sickened her and she knew she had to confront Freddy about this, he had gone too far. She wouldn't let this go. "Do you wanna come in and just sit in my room? You shouldn't be alone right now, Max," she choked.

Max shook her head as she spit out the remnants of her vomit, taking in ragged breaths as she tried to calm herself. "I need to go and see my mom, she knows and she's meeting with Mrs. Watkins, Foster's mom, so I want to be there. Plus, I haven't been sleeping so well lately, the past couple of weeks I've been having night terrors. I just want a ten-hour nap."

"I'm so sorry, Max," Elise sighed, "I wish I knew what to say, this is so unreal." 

"I know, El, just thank you for being here. I wish I could stay, but we planned on moving in together, I loved that idiot." More tears followed as she tried her best to keep calm. "I gotta be there. We'll talk real soon, just let me know if you're going next week, okay? And don't freak out if I don't answer. I'll text." 

She got to her feet and dusted off her legs, then gave Elise one more hug before getting back into her car, driving off, leaving Elise standing in the road as she watched the car disappear down the street. None of this was real, it couldn't be real, stuff like this didn't happen outside of the movies. She wiped her tears from her face and walked back up to the porch, sitting down on the cool concrete as she enjoyed the small droplets of the oncoming rain against her skin. 

There had to be something she could do to appease Freddy's insatiable blood lust and keep her friends and mom safe from his blades. Her head pounded as she thought about all of the possibilities, but none had seemed to end well. Was there truly a point in trying, would ending up being killed like Foster be in her future?

"One way to find out," she grumbled aloud to herself. 

 

\---

 

She had been here before, there was nothing to be afraid of because she had known what to expect. Elise refused to let him get to her again, she wouldn't allow it, and she would show him that she wasn't fucking around. The steam no longer took her off guard and caused her to gasp in fear, she had only stormed ahead and looked around for the familiar sweater, but it was eerily quiet. She grumbled when she turned a corner and was met with nothing. It had seemed like hours in the boiler room as she searched for him, but Elise quickly came to the conclusion that he'd be found if he wanted it to happen. With a sigh of defeat, she leaned against a moist wall and slid her back down until she was sitting on the floor. She thumped her head a couple of times against the wall out of frustration and anger, causing an echo within the room. She had covered most of this world, but he was keeping her waiting, watching her grow irritable. 

Time had gone by differently in the dream world, so Elise had begun to doze off within her dream, still waiting for him to show himself. He walked up toward her as her eyes were closed, his footsteps quiet as he neared her, then he crouched down and looked at her face. He noticed where her skin was puffy and red, where the dried blood had been from their previous run in. He had to admit, she had guts, and even with those bruises, she still gave off the look of an angel of battle. It intrigued him just how much of a pull she had on him. There had been many attractive young women in his life that he tangled with, but none quite like this one. Her hair was wet and clinging to her face, framing the shape of her cheeks. He scoffed at his own thoughts and he stood tall, then he kicked her foot with his boot, pulling her from her sleep.

Elise gasped as she looked up and took in the sight of his figure towering over her. "You," she growled.

"The one and only," he replied and gestured to himself, being as arrogant as he could.

"You are seriously not fucking listening," she slowly stood up as she pushed against the wall for support, "I told you that I'd turn myself over if no one was hurt!"

"I didn't hurt your pathetic little friend." He had meant Max.

"You killed Foster!"

Freddy chuckled and shrugged. "How was I supposed to know he was a friend of yours, hmm?" He began to slowly walk around her, circling her like a hunter eyeing up its prey. "I never agreed to that deal, sweetheart, you only assumed I would, but what's one measly soul in trade for several?"

"Yet you refuse to kill me, you toy with me. Just be a man and kill me then, Krueger."

He caught her off guard and slammed his forearm against her throat, pinning her against the wall as his face was close, so close that she could feel the heat of his breath on her face. Elise winced as she struggled to remove him from her, gasping for air as she felt her body aching from the pressure. "All I've done for you and yet you challenge me, bitch. Come lookin' for me one more time and I will promise you," he paused and let out a low chuckle, baring his rotted teeth, "I will fucking end her."

She dropped to the floor and Freddy was already gone. She coughed as she held onto her neck, rubbing it to ease the pain even just a little. Within seconds, she wakes up in her room which had still been dark. It was only a few minutes after three in the morning, so she hadn't slept for very long. There was no point in getting up, so she remained in her bed as she stared at her orange colored lights, thinking that Halloween would be happening in two weeks, and she needed to prepare. It would keep her mind occupied and distracted.

 

\---

 

The day of Foster's funeral was dark and gloomy as it rained, the rain hadn't let up either, and Elise had been standing under the large umbrella during the entire service. Her focus would go from staring at the closed oak coffin to looking at the sad faces of the crowd all in black. She had immediately noticed Max's absence and considering just how strange it was that she was missing, but she felt out of place if she were to speak while the priest had spoken about the dearly departed. She would have to wait.

Once the service wrapped up, everyone wanted to get out of the cold rain, but Elise ran about and continued to ask around for Max, wondering if she had hung around the back, not being able to come to face the coffin. No one had recalled seeing her even arrive at the grave site, so Elise had stepped off to the side as everyone frantically got into their cars to leave. She dialed Max's number again as she stood near a cluster of trees, but it had gone straight to voicemail. The young woman's brows furrowed together as she let out a huff, then she had walked back to her car and took off back home. 

When she had gotten back home, Delilah was packing her overnight bag with several days worth of clothing. She looked up to see the worry written across her daughters' face. "Honey, what is it?"

"Max wasn't at the funeral," she replied blankly, "and she's not answering her phone."

"Well maybe she couldn't handle it, she was close with him. Maybe it was too much."

"That's what I thought, but this is too important, she wouldn't miss this no matter how hurt she was." Elise stared down at her call log on her phone, noticing she had attempted to call her friend more than six times, but she was only greeted with the voicemail over and over. "Maybe you're right," she finally agreed. "You leaving tonight?"

Delilah nodded and reached for a cigarette from the silver case. "Yeah, I think it'll help. But El, I can't leave you here alone to do...whatever it is you're going to do. If I'm not crazy, and if he is real, why would you willingly go after him?"

Elise shifted her weight as she awkwardly stood in the middle of the doorway, not meeting her mothers' gaze. "Because I'm not afraid of him. He's come to me and almost killed me so many times, but I've stood up to him and gotten in a couple of good blows. I can handle it because I'm gonna protect you."

 

\---

 

Several days passed and there was still no word from Max, so there was no other way but to head to her apartment. When Elise pulled up, the Jeep wasn't parked in the small driveway, nor was there any sign of her being home at all. Still, it wouldn't hurt to try. She hopped out and peeked through the windows to see any sign of movement, but the lights were out and it seemed as if she hadn't been home for a while. Elise pulled out her phone from her hoodie pocket and dialed her number again, listening to it ring and ring with no answer. Elise's ears perked up to the sound of her friends' ringtone playing faintly from inside her place. Elise's heart began beating faster, thanking the Gods above that she may be alright. She ran off to the side door and jiggled the doorknob, but it was locked.

"Max?" she called out loudly as she peeked her head in through the window. "Come on Max, it's not funny anymore! You missed the funeral and now you're dodging my calls?"

She received no answer, but she was determined to get in somehow. Breaking and entering would look pretty bad, so she went the extra mile and dialed 911. She explained to them the entire situation and hoped that it was only a false alarm, but she would find out once they arrived. Elise paced back and forth as she watched for the squad car to pull up, fighting the thought of attempting to pick the lock of the back door, but how bad would that look if she were to be caught in the middle of that. Twenty minutes had gone by, and there wasn't a car in sight as she continued to walk around the house, so she called Max's mom.

"Hello?" 

"Mrs. Phelps, it's Elise, have you heard from Max at all?"

She cleared her throat and laughed. "Oh, Elise honey! No, not lately. I saw her the day she found out about Foster, but haven't heard from her since. I know she was upset, so I didn't want to bother her."

"She hasn't been answering her phone," Elise explained, "and her car isn't here, but I heard her phone ringing inside. No one is answering, I don't know what to do." 

Silence had greeted her for a moment, but then Mrs. Phelps cleared her throat. "Call the police, just in case. We're on our way, Elise." Her mother left it short and sweet, but the urgency in her voice was obvious. 

Elise hung up and paced around the apartment some more, not knowing what to do until the police arrived, but then the squad car pulled up with two officers inside. A man stepped out of the passenger's seat as a woman came around from the driver's side. She walked up toward Elise with a serious but kind face, and she seemed ready to do business.

"Miss Ashcroft?" she asked, to which Elise responded with a worried nod. 

"Yeah, that's me." She looked on as the male officer walked up to the windows, peeking inside as the woman spoke to her, but Elise hadn't been listening. She turned her attention back to the officer and almost broke down. "Please, just see if she's okay! I'll answer anything you want afterward, just, please!" 

Hesitating, the officer stood silent and then nodded to her partner, who began to shove his arm against the door, hoping to dislodge it before breaking it down completely. Elise's heart pounded as the door finally swung open, and the female grabbed her gun and held it low, hoping they wouldn't need to use it. They had both walked in the apartment and searched for something out of place, and that's when the man ran back out and began to gag. Elise's eyes went wide, her stomach dropped and she held her breath. Something was definitely wrong. She wanted to run in there and see for herself, but she couldn't bring herself to walk inside.

The officer emerged and covered her mouth and placed the gun back in its holster. "Honey, I'm sorry," she began, but Elise screamed and tried to run past her.

She grabbed her tightly and held her back as best as she could while the young woman fought to escape her grasp. "No! Let me see her, please! Max! No, Max!" She fell to her knees and sobbed loudly while the woman tried her best to comfort her, but she had no idea what to say. The scene in there wasn't something she'd want anyone to see. She grabbed her walkie and requested backup immediately. 

"This is Officer Helms, we need an ambulance, I'm reporting a 10-67." Her eyes drifted to Elise, who was babbling incoherently as she wept for her friend, and the other officer finally recovered from the sight. 

He knelt down to meet Elise's gaze and placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "I'm sorry, hun. I don't want you to have to go in there."

"Was she murdered?" Elise asked through her tears. "Was it an accident or not?" He shook his head and looked away momentarily, he couldn't look her in the eyes, which only confirmed her suspicions. "I see," she bawled. 

She had to remain there for questioning, and by the time Max's parents arrived, Elise was too shocked to even speak to anyone, even when Max's mom had pulled her into a crushing hug and sobbed against her. The redhead had no idea how to react, no one close to her was ever murdered, but she knew who was responsible. He would fucking pay.


End file.
